In Colossians 2:6-7, Paul encouraged his readers like this: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him…”

One of the reasons he wrote these words to them was because they were straying off course. They were devaluing Jesus. As a result, they were opening themselves to beliefs and practices which were not from God. In fact, they were opening themselves to evil! 

That’s why he reminded them of their original confession of faith which acknowledged “Christ Jesus as Lord…” Continue to live your lives IN HIM, rooted and built up IN HIM! In other words, if Jesus is really Lord, they should only look to him as Saviour and guide, not to anyone or anything else.

He also stressed that they should be “rooted” in Christ. It makes you think of a massive tree with a deep root structure. It can withstand the wind because the roots are so deep.

It can even withstand the winds of Satan himself. That’s the subtext of Colossians 2. Evil lurks. At the same time, if we are rooted in Christ as Lord, the Evil One cannot defeat us. John Calvin said: “if anyone is deeply and thoroughly fixed in Christ, as in a firm root, he cannot be thrown down from his upright position by any machinations of Satan.”*

Jesus himself taught us to pray against the schemes of the Adversary. One of the more popular places he did so was in The Lord’s Prayer: “Deliver us from evil.” Most modern scholars think the phrase should be rendered like this: “Deliver us from the Evil One.”

I write this to encourage you. If Jesus is Lord, that means Satan is not. God is greater. And when you root yourselves in Jesus, not only are you growing in spiritual maturity, but you are bracing yourself to withstand life’s malevolent winds.

Our God is a wise King, a loving Father, a Shepherd who never sleeps. 

We are “in” Christ, and he is Lord over all. 

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Notes and extra content:

–“Turbulence – Sarah Joy Covey interviews me about my book and navigating the storms of life.” Recently I was interviewed about my book, how it intersects with our wellness journey, and how the book can help. Click here, or find ‘The Covey Wellness Centre’ podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

–The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on June 3, 2024.

–*John Calvin, Calvin’s New Testament Commentaries: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, trans. T.H.L. Parker (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), 1965), 328.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.